Meet the Umstead Family

meet The Umstead Family

We are heather and Tommy Umstead!

Our hearts have been summoned to China for a third time.

We are a biological family of 6, an in-law family of 8, and an adoptive family of 10 and we recently grew by 1 grandson! So that makes for a great big brood of 11! Our life goal right now is to make that 12! 

We were brought to the realization of orphans in 2016, and, at first, it seemed as it was a truth that we could do nothing about. But God was working in the details of our lives and designing our family in His image.

We began to view the reality of the global orphan crisis as individual stories - stories we are equipped to change.

We realized it was going to be a huge undertaking but, with help, we could make a difference. 

Our dream became a reality on December 4th, 2017 - nine months (to the day) after we held our very first adoption fundraiser - when we held our son Samuel in our arms at an orphanage in China. We knew this was the beginning of a brand new life for him and that God had called us across oceans to our 5th child.

Just two days later, Tommy was able to visit the orphanage where Samuel spent the first years of his life.

The nannies led Tommy to a crib where Samuel spent all 24 hours of his days. He shared his space with a little girl - a little girl who would soon become our daughter, Joy. They lived in that small crib together for three and a half years.

We knew we couldn’t forget her.

Two years later we returned to China to bring her home. Once considered unadoptable, she is now our Joy. She is amazing and keeps us laughing each day!

Which leads us to today and a little boy named Auden. We have known Auden’s story for a long time. He was one of the little guys we prayed for when we were matched with Samuel. Our hearts were torn because we discussed going back for him prior to being sure Joy was our daughter. While visiting the orphanage for the second time, in 2019, we wanted to spend time with Auden. We packed him a HUGE bag of things and were very anxious to meet him and see if he would connect with Joy and Samuel.

To our surprise, we were told that Auden was “not good” - not worthy of the gifts we packed and not worthy enough to be considered by us to adopt. They said that he wasn’t even worthy to live on the same floor with the other children. He was kept on an adult floor tied to his crib by his hands and his feet.

After much pleading they brought him to us but we weren’t to touch him because of his worthlessness.

We weren't even sure it was him. His head was bloodied and bruised and his eyes were blank. He was a shell of a child, and we nearly got physically ill by the reality of his situation. It was the first time we truly witnessed the horrid life of an orphan.

We have tirelessly advocated for Auden. As a result, he is currently safe in an American run healing home in China. His orphanage agreed to allow him to live at this healing home for one year before they call him back.

We are in a race to get there before he is returned.

There are so many people fighting for this little guy and we are asking you to join our fight. We have plenty of love but the financial piece is larger than we are. We are asking you to be part of Auden’s village and come alongside us to pray him home.

As we wait for a clear path forward to auden, the Lord brought us to will.

In 2023, Will entered our lives. Considered a “medically fragile” infant due to his many health conditions, Will’s team could not find a suitable family able to care for him with the knowledge that there are no guarantees on his life. We know The Lord calls us to love Will for as long as we are privileged to do so. He continues to defeat the odds and amaze all of us around him. Formally adopted in 2023, Will is teaching us to make every moment count.